When I was in elementary school, I was extremely free-spirited and it felt good to push boundaries and experiment with novel ideas.
I was first introduced to the concept of drums in fifth grade when our music teacher was teaching us the world drumming module. None of my friends, including a few older ones that I’ve known over the years, had interest in percussion as an instrument. I had heard of their experiences with the violin, cello, and even saxophone, but never percussion.
Then came time to pick an instrument to play in middle school, where as a fifth-grader, I was required to attend an event where kids were able to try different musical instruments before they made a choice.
I walked into each room with curiosity. I was intrigued by the saxophone, as it was an instrument that my friend’s older brother played, and it was becoming increasingly popular. Of course, the saxophone room was the one with the longest of lines flooding out of it.
After what seemed like hours of waiting, I finally got to sit in the wooden stool while a professional adjusted the saxophone around my neck. The professional player had his own saxophone and taught me how to play the classic “Hot Cross Buns.” I watched his fingers move effortlessly to different keys as I memorized the notes. When I was ready, my father pulled out his phone to record a memorable video. To my surprise, instead of the smooth notes that the professional played, my music was squeaky and soft. My father encouraged me to try again, but every time I played, it would sound the same.
I didn’t give up hope and continued to try other instruments: the trumpet, the violin, the trombone, even the tuba (which was far too big for a girl with a height of 4-foot-9). None of the instruments seemed to satisfy me. I looked at my ranking worksheet, with all the instrument boxes checked except for percussion. Little did I know, the last room I stepped into would be the instrument I truly fell in love with.
I walked into the percussion room, and was pleasantly surprised by the choices. From the snare drum to the xylophone to the tambourine, they were all there. I tapped my foot to the beat and played the rhythm of “Hot Cross Buns” on the snare drum, while playing the tune on the xylophone. I loved the fact that there were different techniques involved with each instrument in percussion and realized this was my true passion in music. I immediately crossed out “Violin” from the number one spot and wrote down “Percussion” in capital letters.
My percussion journey did raise some eyebrows among friends and family. They did not exactly discourage me, but there were comments like, “she would be the only girl amongst all the boys,” or “she would need to put in a lot of physical effort.” There were also comments like, “she could just sing in a choir,” but my parents were my ardent supporters.
Today, I play the bass drum on the Mayo High School drumline. We play popular songs at sporting events, the homecoming parade, but my personal favorite is the Drumline Battle. Drumline Battle is an event where the three public high schools (Mayo, John Marshall, and Century) compete against each other by playing cadences, which are peppy rhythms composed for just the drumline. The ticket proceeds are split by the three schools and are added to their respective annual Christmas charity fundraisers. Drumline has allowed me to grow personally, challenge myself, meet new friends and approach everyday as a new adventure.
Drumline is extremely inclusive, but many girls tend to shy away from this area. Out of the 22 people in the drumline, there are only four girls (including me). I hadn’t met any girls in drumline when I was younger, and it isn’t very common today, either. I hope that I can inspire young girls to try percussion, as it can be extremely fun, entertaining, and soul-liberating.
Nandini Iyer is a junior at Mayo High School. Send comments on teen columns to Jeff Pieters,
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